In conjunction with the interdisciplinary activities of the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS), a seminar series on topics in mathematical biology will be hosted at NIMBioS every other Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. (unless otherwise noted) in the Hallam Auditorium,
Room 206, Claxton Building, 1122 Volunteer Blvd.
Seminar speakers will focus on their research initiatives at the interface of mathematics and many areas of the life sciences. Light refreshments will be served in Room 205 beginning 30 minutes before each talk.
Faculty and students from across the UT community are welcome to join us.

Time/Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2015, 3:30* Location:
Room 206, Claxton Building, 1122 Volunteer Blvd.Speaker:Dr. Xiaopeng Zhao, Mechanical, Aerospace, & Biomedical Engineering Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville
Topic:Multiscale Modeling of Complex Parasitic Transmission MechanismsAbstract:
Parasitic pathogens often have complicated life cycles, making it hard to identify the right antigens for vaccine development. Using Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) as an example, this talk will discuss modeling approaches on understanding parasitic transmission mechanisms, including cellular-level kinetics, host-pathogen interaction, and population dynamics of complex parasitic infections. T. gondii is globally distributed and infects 30% of the world's population. Yet, the critical determinants that underlie the pathogen's ability to disseminate and establish chronic infection in the brain, smooth muscle and other tissues as well as to transmit between hosts remain poorly understood. Much work has been done on modeling the life cycle of T. gondii through an investigative workshop and a working group at NIMBioS. Results from the workshop and the working group will be reported and future research will be discussed.

NIMBioS is sponsored by the
National Science Foundation
through NSF Award #DBI-1300426, with additional support from
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.